Netflix #1 TV Series Is a Touching Dramedy For All Fans of Sundance Films
The spin-off of the forgotten hit became a pleasant addition to the original movie.
The new Netflix series The Four Seasons is an adaptation of Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name, a movie that was once nominated for four Golden Globes and was a box office success, but is now almost forgotten.
The series borrowed two conceptual ideas from the original movie. First, we see four meetings of friends on screen: in spring, summer, fall, and winter, each time outside of work. One trip together takes up two episodes.
Secondly, most of the time the screen is filled with Antonio Vivaldi's cycle of violin concertos The Four Seasons.
What Is The Four Seasons About?
In the spring, four friends – Kate, Jack, Danny and Claude – go to Anne and Nick's lake house for the weekend. The couple is celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Nick unexpectedly confesses to his friends that he plans to leave the eternally tired and annoying Anne.
A few months after the breakup, the divorced man begins a relationship with Ginny, a dentist. The girl is more than 20 years younger than her new beau, but the couple seems happy. Anne is having a hard time with the breakup, and the friends are torn between the ex-spouses, trying not to fight with anyone.
The Four Seasons Reminds of Comfort Sundance Movies
The series is most reminiscent of cozy Sundance movies, where valuable observations about relationships, friendships, fights and reconciliations are hidden behind empty conversations and jokes.
The main characters are either married or have been in good relationships for more than 20 years, so a major factor in the narrative is the midlife crisis, the weariness of a long-term partner, and the attempt to feel alive again.
The Four Seasons Will Make You Both Laugh and Cry
It's easy to warm up to the main characters, who are far from perfect, often irritating, but alive. The show occasionally turns into a cute sitcom, but at any moment the writers are ready to punch you in the gut with an unexpected plot twist.
In The Four Seasons, there's not just dancing, eating good food, feeling nostalgic, and chatting. Sometimes tragedy bursts into the measured flow of everyday life. In true dramedy fashion, touching moments and carefree silliness coexist with serious conflict and tears.
The Four Seasons Is a Touching Projects And a Must-See for Fans of Dramedies
The Four Seasons is one of the pleasant TV series surprises of the spring. Eight half-hour episodes fly by unnoticed: it is easy to fall into the cozy world of the project and feel like part of this group of friends.
In a gentle and sentimental way, the show's creators remind us of the importance of minutes spent in a pleasant circle of like-minded people and the transience of memorable moments.